Nurses will always be needed. But they are getting harder to find

The United States is struggling to ensure patients receive the care they need. The math is simple, and scary: more patients plus fewer caregivers equals a major crisis. The baby boomer generation is aging, and so is everyone else. Over 1 million nurses are expected to exit over the next decade, driven by a combination of burnout, retirement and natural attrition. People are living longer (and not necessarily healthier), while dystopian statistics about the rapid decline in birth rates continue to dominate the headlines.

Meanwhile, the pipeline for workers can’t meet the demand when the healthcare sector is all but carrying the American economy. In 2025, healthcare and social assistance led all sectors in job creation, adding nearly 700,000 jobs nationwide. In an era where artificial intelligence automation stands ready to obliterate the job market, the hands-on care of healthcare will continue to do the heavy lifting. After all, AI isn’t going to take your blood or give you a vaccination - or notice that your aging mother left her favorite green Jell-O on her tray for the past three days.

Nurses will always be needed. But they are getting harder to find.

The problem isn’t that people don’t want to work in healthcare. It’s that the system is designed to favor those who’ve already had every advantage. Nursing school spots are few and far between and are saved for the top applicants - often those with stable homes, supportive networks and few distractions. That leaves out a sizable population of people looking for work who are bright, capable and motivated - but who may lack the support or structures to make it through a traditional training program.

And this is exactly why lawmakers solving for the nursing shortage miss the forest for the trees. Yes, we need more nurses. But where are those nurses supposed to come from? (Hint: It’s not out of thin air.)

Solving the nursing shortage starts with a full pipeline of certified nursing assistants, or CNAs. CNA training is foundational for a majority of healthcare jobs. And there are proven approaches that help disadvantaged students complete these programs successfully. Expanding those efforts could help build a workforce pipeline made up of people who have been historically overlooked, underestimated or shut out of healthcare careers altogether. We can create the next generation of caregivers who are in it for the long haul because someone invested in their success from day one.

Effective workforce programs share a few characteristics. They start by focusing on the whole person; before training begins, they address practical barriers such as food insecurity, childcare, transportation and even domestic violence. After graduation, they connect participants with employer partners. Most importantly, they are there during the critical first year of employment. Because getting a job and keeping a job are two entirely different challenges.

This kind of wraparound support requires significant investment. But the alternative is far more expensive: a revolving-door workforce system that struggles to train, retain and sustain the caregivers the industry depends on. Retaining CNAs remains a persistent challenge across healthcare. Yet graduates of workforce training programs stay with employer partners at rates typically 30% to 40% higher than those employers’ average retention rates.

The lesson is clear. When we invest in people beyond the classroom - through mentorship, case management and ongoing support - we don’t just fill jobs. We build lasting careers.

These outcomes are better for all of us: nurses, patients, hospitals, families and entire communities. And the economic ripple is impressive. In Texas, for example, participants in models like this returned over $100 million in wages to the local economy in 2025. These are people who were often previously drawing from public assistance, now on a career path leading them toward middle-class stability.

There are two connected pieces to this crisis. On one hand, we have a rapidly changing job market and a growing number of people living in poverty without a clear pathway to economic stability. On the other hand, we have a rapidly aging population and a growing number of people needing the kind of care that is already overwhelming the system. Programs that train and sustain healthcare workers from underserved communities solve both problems at once.

The solution exists, and we know the model works. All that stands between disaster and progress is the willingness of lawmakers and corporate leaders to step up.

This is a crisis, one that is already unfolding in emergency rooms, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and hospital floors across the country. Every politician says they care about healthcare. But concern without investment is simply theater. Funding nursing pipelines needs to be a priority.

The alternative? Ringing that call button, over and over, and wondering why no one answers.

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Barb Clapp is the CEO of the nonprofit Dwyer Workforce Development.

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This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 4:50 AM.